Weekly Stories

Andrea Panconesi, the CEO of LUISAVIAROMA, doesn't have an actual office at his headquarters, where young techies are clickety-clacking on their keyboards and processing thousands of orders from all over the world. When he isn't traveling, he is roaming about the office - moving from the graphic department to the customer service desk, observing how his international business is progressing.

The grandson of the original Luisa Jaquin, Panconesi guided his grandmother's company into the 21st century by jumping on the Internet wave as soon as it began to crest. As a result and through his online business, the United States and China are the family-run company's top two markets.

Sam Lowe is the Chief Technology Officer and head of technology at MatchesFashion.com, one of the most exciting and fastest-growing e-commerce destinations globally. At our London Summit, Sam will be talking through the tech journey of the company, offering insight into how business model innovation and improved customer experience can be achieved through digital technology. Before catching him speak on the 21 May, we caught up with Sam for a preview – and asked him why he thinks MatchesFashion.com stands out from the crowd.

As most schoolchildren are told from a young age, A stands for Apple; April, on the other hand, surely stands for the Apple Watch. The industry’s most hotly-anticipated wearable has been preceded by months of speculation – could it sell as well as the iPad on its launch? Will it provide a natural fit for fashion editorials? Now, on the eve of its launch, keen industry-watchers are looking to Baselworld (the watch industry’s international trade fair) for possible rivals. There, a crop of new announcements are proving themselves worthy contenders to the smart watch throne – one which, as we should remind ourselves, Apple hasn’t ascended to quite yet.

SXSW Interactive is almost here! In the run-up for the festival on March 13-17, it's time to take a moment to sign up for our special events, featuring new hot startups as well as established brands. And most involve a cocktail or two.